A Studio Under Pressure

The day we visited Azmeer Hossain's home, he was completely swamped. The visit was supposed to happen the evening before, but a severe migraine made that impossible. When Venus finally arrived, we found him tying up loose ends for his next group exhibition in Korea, curated by Mohammad Eunus. Ten of his large scale paintings were being framed to travel abroad, and each piece was being sent out fully framed.

Walking in, we found Subroto there too, framing the pieces at the house. There was a flurry of activity around the framing, with Azmeer Hossain moving from one corner to another. Usually, when you visit an artist's home, there is a certain atmosphere prepared for guests. This time was different. This was real studio talk. That’s insane.

Azmeer Hossain had been asked to prepare for this group show just two months earlier, almost pushed into it. Ten pieces, only two months to make them. It's an immense pressure for any artist. Working on a large canvas is challenging in itself. Framing was happening on one side, while he was putting the final touches on his paintings on the other. Azmeer Hossain talked, worked, checked on the framing, and showed us the technique behind his paintings all at once. He explained different aspects of his medium as he painted, and it felt like raw learning. Looking at a finished piece in an exhibition gives us one kind of interpretation, but watching an artist explain his process while working is an entirely different experience.

Those who are familiar with Azmeer Hossain work know that he is most comfortable with watercolor. But this time, every piece was made by mixing acrylic with oil, technically falling under mixed media, but creating a certain ambiguity for the viewer about which medium they are actually looking at. He explained this technique himself, how the mixture comes together and how different it is from typical genres. This kind of work is still fairly limited in Bangladesh.

An interesting moment came when looked at one of the last pieces, an abstract work that resembled a semi human figure, its brain seemingly dissolved into nature. But he wasn't satisfied with it himself. Maybe he doesn't want viewers to immediately read it as human, because abstract art is meant to be interpreted differently by each person. If everyone sees it the same way, the joy of it is lost for him.

While discussing abstraction, he mentioned “Mohammad Eunus, one of the few in Bangladesh doing truly strong work in this space. A student of Mohammad Kibria, he pointed out that those who excel in abstract work are usually equally skilled in traditional painting. Without a solid grounding in traditional painting, achieving proper composition or narrative in abstract art isn't really possible.”

Azmeer Hossain was clear that his thoughts on abstraction weren't just about the form itself. It comes down to a deep respect for the artist and a genuine dedication to the work. Without that dedication, survival in the art world becomes difficult.

It has been nearly 15 years since he returned to Bangladesh from the United States. His first solo exhibition happened at Bengal right after his return, and he was among the first line of young artists Bengal gave that opportunity to. Three more solo exhibitions followed, along with countless group shows.

So much time has passed since then. Family, responsibilities have grown, but his dedication to art has remained just as steady.

Building a strong basement as a freelance artist, establishing yourself as a brand, is a difficult journey. Not every freelance artist gets the fortune to thrive the way Kanak Chanpa or Shahabuddin did. There is a harder side to this path too, one where many artists fall away. But those who endure eventually see their personal style become their brand.

Azmeer Hossain is walking that very path.